Journey of a Thousand Miles
by Zoey Overbeck
Summary: AU: Kimiko wakes up with no memory of where she is on a sinking ship... She must go on a path of self discovery while avoiding the Heylin Hunters through her perilous trek and reach Xiaolin Valley before she is killed. 2/8 update: Prologue and new chapter
1. Prologue

February 8 update: Welcome to this fan fiction. I suppose I should have written this before, but I thought that having a mysterious scene would pique interest among the fan fiction community. With the _generous _amount of reviews I have received, evidence now points that I _shouldn't do that again_.

Verily, I now give you this tidbit to help fill in the gaps.

Cheers!

~Zoey Overbeck

* * *

><p><strong>From the beginning<strong>, there was no evil nor good in the world; for countless eons, both the Xiaolin and the Heylin forces lived alongside one another. Martial arts of all forms were shared by the two groups and peace was plentiful. The Earth's inhabitants shared bountiful harvests, and little strife was encountered.

The universe was in order, and both Yin and Yang were equally balanced with one another.

However, a schism started by the ever malevolent Hannibal Roy Bean with the intent to effectively rent both sides forever by diving them into two distinct groups. The Heylin were banished and in their exile, were sent to live in the most desolate places imaginable. For many years, the two groups fought, many leaders of both sides rising and falling, leading their men into battle with losses numbering in the hundred thousands.

The Xiaolin were led by great leaders- Master Monk Guan, Chase Young, and Grand Master Dashi.

On the opposing side were Wuya and Hannibal, masters of the art of deception and Heylin magic.

Chase Young was later tricked by the very same Hannibal Bean and inadvertently sold his soul in exchange for the Lao Mang Long soup, which granted him access to untold powers, as well as immortality. Alas, this came at a price- he sacrificed his humanity and his soul was forever corrupted. His usage of the soup led to dependance, where he would need to constantly drink the soup or be trapped in his bestial form- a terrible reptilian being capable of remarkable swiftness and utter destruction.

With the balance further tipped, the Xiaolin were fighting a losing battle. Many of their forces were decimated under relentless attacks. Chase Young and his army of fallen-warriors-turned-jungle-cats had overpowered several of the Xiaolin fronts within the past months.

The world slowly burned to ashes as both forces fought for control. Lava flows in riverbanks, and the sky is covered by a perpetual cloud of smoke. Embittered by losses, the Heylin constantly rallies its forces, leaving tell-tale trails of their handiwork.

Years ago, the spacial deities that balanced the world heard the pleas of the people and sent their strength to all four directions of the Earth in the form of innocent children gifted with special powers- powers of water, earth, air, and fire.

The Heylin sought to capture or eradicate all four of these children, but they were cleverly hidden until the time came for them to awaken when the world would truly be at its tipping point.

One by one, they emerged from the hidden confines on Earth, disappearing from their daily lives and reappearing where their elements were weakest years later. Trials of gradually increasing difficulties were placed in their path, giving all four an opportunity to strengthen their prowess.

If they succeed and pass the trials set ahead of them, then the world would finally be brought back to balance when they finally fulfill their destinies at the Xiaolin Valley.

If they fail, however, then 1,500 years of darkness and Heylin rule would not only completely envelop the world, but throw the entire universe into complete chaos and disarray.

Over the past few years, three of the four dragons were located in their general areas and their whereabouts protected by the Xiaolin from the Heylin's knowledge. Many attempts to retrieve them have failed due to the search party's noticeable size and the Heylin spies' tab on the Xiaolin Valley. Only a small traveling band of ragged children appearing to flee from the destruction would be given hardly a second thought. With regret, the Xiaolin monks were forced to leave the four to their devices and let them hide and fend for their lives on their own.

Today, however, the fourth awakens to unite them in a bond stronger than even the mightiest of alliances forged by the Heylin.

* * *

><p>This story was partially inspired by the Alcatraz TV series premiere episode, which kept on replaying on the plane I flew to go home a few weeks ago (Alcatraz prisoners disappearing mysteriously in the 1950's- or something like that- and waking up in the present without having aged at all). My armrest remove didn't work, so I was left watching it for a good 3-4 times.<p>

There might be a few pairings in this story, but mainly RaiKim, or something like that. The Chaimiko story was a one-time thing. Maybe. Perhaps I'll experiment with more crack pairings.


	2. Ignem

Summary: AU- Kimiko wakes up with no memory of where she is on a sinking ship. She is helped by a mysterious man, discovering her hidden powers along the way, and is stopped by Jack Spicer's legion of robots. Kimiko must go on a path of self discovery while avoiding the Heylin Hunters through her perilous trek and reach Xiaolin Valley before she is killed.

* * *

><p>Kimiko recognized the ocean way before she could see it. The chilled salty air blew through the loose strands of her hair, gently tugging at the roots. The surface she lay on rocked back and forth in tune with the waves, making the young girl a bit seasick.<p>

'Wait, ocean...' she thought, springing upward in surprise and shrieking in agony as a splitting headache suddenly decided to make its appearance known.

The first thing that greeted her vision was debris-littered rotting wooden planking. Suddenly, the world began to spin, and Kimiko moaned in annoyance, holding her head in her hands. Groggily, she blinked slowly, waiting until her vision stopped spinning before lifting her head and warily looked around.

The ship was terribly old- rusting metal encroached upon the white paint, leaving trails of reddish brown coloring in its wake. Aging cranes towered above the lower platform dotted with various cargo boxes, silent and still.

Upon seeing nobody, however, she quietly sighed and cursed herself, leaning against the steel railings of the research ship. Her ears strained for the slightest sound that indicated a human presence, but was denied even the quietest of man-made noises. Only the sound of saltwater waves slapping against the boat and the squawking of seagulls circling above reached her ears.

Kimiko groaned and turned her gaze to a metal vent, where it displayed her reflection. Her clear blue eyes widened and she stifled a shout of surprise before uncovering her mouth, remembering that nobody was around. Still, as she performed a cursory check to be sure, she could not help but feel that she was being watched. She turned back to her reflection and miserably picked at the tattered remains of what she wore- a ratty pair of jeans, worn red and white colored sneakers, and a black T-shirt. Her unkempt hair was tied up into two messy pigtails by mere shreds of red ribbons. Around her neck was a strange red and gold medallion held up by a thinning piece of black string.

Kimiko allowed her body to slouch, depressed with her haggard appearance. Suddenly, a series of loud explosions broke the silence. The research ship rocked and began to list to the left as water poured in through the gaping holes blasted into its port side. Alarmed, Kimiko clung onto the railing for support and heaved her body upward until she was shakily standing in an upright position. She listened for any screaming or any sign that she ship was occupied by humans, but the vessel remained silent except for a wailing alarm that was triggered by the blast. Perhaps this ship was truly abandoned after all...

"Whoa!" she yelled, her voice cracking in terror. "What's going on here?"

"Kid, I think it's in our best intentions if we, ah... leave this sinking ship before we're dragged with it to the bottom of the ocean" a quiet voice whispered in her ear.

The Japanese girl nearly leapt off of the ship in surprise, whirling around just in time to be face to face with a strangely clothed, bald Chinese man in his late forties.

"Sorry, kid" he said, slightly bowing his head in greeting before repeating himself. "Not to interrupt your panic, but I believe we must be getting off the research ship now before we're dragged to the bottom of the ocean. If I remember correctly, we should have enough time to-"

"Well, I... I don't remember anything at all!" Kimiko interrupted, growing more panicked by each passing second instead of being relieved at meeting another human being. "How did I get here!" she cried, narrowing her eyes as a sudden thought entered her head, "...How did you get here?"

"That's not important," the man replied coolly, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards the ship's bow. "I'll try to explain your situation along the way, though."

"But how-"

"Are you Kimiko Tohomiko?" the Chinese man questioned; only giving the girl a sidelong glance.

"Yes, but-"

"Then you are the Dragon of Fire" he interrupted again.

"Wait, what did-?"

"We've been waiting for you for a long time. Those bone-headed idiots didn't quite know where you'd appear, but we had our ancient scrolls to assist us... 'Course, they had to be studied for several centuries and Chucky Choo managed to 'lose' some, but that's beside the point"

"Who's we?"

"_They_ will be here any second now..."

"Stop!" Kimiko shouted, digging her heels into the planking and ferociously tugging her arm out of the man's grip. "Who's _they_?"

However, the mysterious person didn't appear to be pleased and snatched her arm again, dragging her towards the front of the ship with renewed vigor.

"Whoa there, kid! We can't stop right now" he shouted, scanning the skies. "My name is..." he paused for a moment as if considering whether to tell her before continuing, "Well, my friends call me Dashi. I was sent to find you." He looked back at her once more and gave her a thin smile when she did not attempt to stop him. "We have been waiting for you for a long time. You are special, young lady. You see, you possess a unique quality that _they _want to obtain."

Kimiko stared, her mouth agape. Her mind did not even register being pulled along by a complete stranger anymore. In less than 5 minutes since she had regained consciousness, she had found herself on a sinking ship with no memory of having embarked on in the first place and an old man named Dashi scream at her and spout gibberish about her having these mystical powers that _they _wanted to have all for themselves.

"We have company!" Dashi yelled, pushing her to the floor as bullets tore through the air above their heads.

A horde of robots flew straight towards them, using their jet packs to charge at the two. On their chests were white skull symbols and black tattooing that read "Jack Spicer- Evil Boy Jeenius". The red lenses that served as their eyes flashed malevolently, scanning both humans and evaluating their weaknesses, coming to a conclusion in mere seconds. Their arms extended from their torso, each shaped into a cruel-looking automatic weapon.

"Jackbots..." He growled. "I should have known Spicer was watching"

"Spicer...?"

"Listen, use the Mantis Flip Coin... The medallion around your neck" he clarified before leaping towards the oncoming opponents. "Its powers should be activated once you call its name"

"But-"

"Mantis kick!" he shouted, neatly obliterating two of the metallic menaces with a perfectly executed split kick. "Hah! Cougar Strike!"

The Japanese girl stared at the grand master with wide eyes, stupefied as he tore through robot after robot with his bare hands before yelling at her to use the Mantis Flip Coin once more.

"M...Mantis... Flip Coin?" Kimiko asked uncertainly, holding the object with a shaking hand.

The Shen Gong Wu softly glowed white in response to her voice. Emboldened at her minor success in a new confusing world, Kimiko took several steps forward, but cried in shock as she suddenly found herself catapulted through the air. She landed on a Jackbot's head, instantly crushing it underfoot and causing the automaton to fall from the sky and crash into several of its partners, damaging them as well.

Gleefully, Kimiko repeated the process several more times, encouraged by Dashi's inspirational cries and war shouts. A strange feeling in her gut began to form, but Kimiko paid it little mind. It was like an adrenaline rush, urging her to continue destroying and rending the attacking machines into useless pieces of scrap metal. It possessed her, making her fight like a wildcat with the power and grace of one. A smirk grew on her face, and a fire sparked to life in her eyes.

Dashi nodded in satisfaction and calmly instructed her in between dismantling a 20-foot tall Jackbot by slicing and crushing it into multiple fragments, "Now, focus on your inner energy. Concentrate on it, and release while saying the name of your element."

Curious, Kimiko followed his advice and targeted one of the remaining combatants. She sharply inhaled and tensed her muscles, shooting her hands forward with her palms out. The energy resting at her core now traveled to her arms, sending a strange tingling feeling to them that was neither pleasant nor frightening. It concentrated at her wrists, which throbbed as more energy was being stored.

With a cry, she released a small fireball from her hands that melted through the metal armor of the robot, revealing its crudely made inner workings. The strange feeling in her gut grew more intense each time Kimiko rapidly shot small bursts of fire from her hands in combination with the Shen Gong Wu, in turn making her attacks more powerful. A few bullets had grazed her skin, but it only made her angrier and her attacks stronger.

"This is amazing" Kimiko breathed, enthralled by the wisps of red energy coating her arms as she tore through the last of the machines that attempted to attack her.

Dashi nodded approvingly and made a deferential comment on how she had managed to use her sense of intuition to avoid being mostly caught in the crossfire. He however, was unable to. Some bullets had completely punched through his skin in several places, and blood dripped from the holes, creating red trails on his light colored skin. His breathing was ragged, and his posture was slightly hunched over.

Kimiko opened her mouth and prepared to speak, but a laser sizzling the air in front of her face stopped her. The scent of fire filled their nostrils as a few pieces of her burned raven-black hair drifted to the battle-scarred deck below.

Reinforcements for the motley crew of would-be assassins appeared from behind the upper decks, bolstering support for their comrades with streams of deadly laser fire and whirring circular saw blades. Kimiko nearly collapsed to the floor in pure, unadulterated shock and her spirit wavered a little.

"Listen, kid, I can't stay here much longer, but you need to reach Xiaolin Valley!" Dashi gasped in between dodging an oncoming hail of bullets and retaliating with an impressive string of martial arts moves to deflect a blade aimed for his head, only to end up with deep lacerations to an arm.

Dashi cried, clutching the wounded arm before shooting the robot a venomous glare and lancing it with a broken metal shard.

"You need to make it to shore and head northwest to Xiaolin Valley. I can't help you much longer but I can say this..." Dashi said, his voice dropping to the point where it was almost a whisper. "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. You, Kimiko Tohomiko, must begin that journey"

"What's so important about Xiaolin Valley!" Kimiko screamed, but Dashi only continued to shout the name of the mysterious place and a few pieces of advice pertaining to her element before his stance faltered and fell off the ship.

Kimiko savagely fought to the location he had been and looked down, but he had disappeared.

The sound of multiple guns cocking brought her back to her senses and the young girl whirled around in fright. 10 heavily damaged but still functional robots stared back at her through lifeless eyes, training the paltry remainder of their automatic weapons and laser sights on her head. Her eyes widened, and she tried to call up her fire powers, but with her inexperience with using them coupled with intense pressure and anxiety, she only created a tiny flame between her fingers. Her other hand played with the Shen Gong Wu in her pocket, but she knew she couldn't use it- there weren't any other platforms nearby, and she'd be an easy target while free falling.

_'You have got to be kidding me' _Kimiko thought; anger turned to terror as she remembered her only escape route.

With little hesitation, she turned around and faced the water once more. Part of her resented the Grand Master for having apparently abandoned her, but the other part argued otherwise. The frothy ocean waves calmly licked at the sinking research ship, as if it were inviting her in. Kimiko repressed a shudder- she was petrified of the water and needless to say, never exactly learned how to swim. Taking a deep breath, the young dragon of fire pinched her nose with a hand, vaulted over the steel railing, and plunged into the water just as hundreds of bullets fired simultaneously.

* * *

><p>The misspelling of the word "genius" was obviously intentional.<p>

Dashi knew what he was doing by essentially leaving Kimiko for dead. The ship was supposed to be a 16-tier cruise ship, but then I realized that jumping from the 14th tier would most likely kill her (violently), so it was changed to a research vessel instead.

I may or may not update this in the long run, considering how I'm caught up in the middle of midterms and all. I should manage to write some ideas down, however. Unlike my other stories I have yet to finish, I have a clear definite idea of where I'm going with this. At the least, 1 update per month. At the very least, a few updates per year...

...On the condition where I find enough motivation to keep publishing more chapters.


	3. Water Hazard

Inspirational Music:

_Firebender- _Immediate Music  
><em>Escape<em>- Craig Armstrong  
><em>Two Steps from Hell<em>- He who brings the Night  
><em>Birds and Ships<em>- Billy Bragg and Wilco  
><em>Left 4 Dead soundtrack<em>- Mike Morasky

* * *

><p>The tension in the air was almost tangible as the wind whipped by her face. She felt the sensation of free fall before the crushing force of the impact. Her body jolted upon collision, and she was forced to release the breath she had been saving. Her open wounds stung upon contact with the salty liquid and she tried to scream, but only air bubbles escaped from her mouth.<p>

Water invaded her nostrils, and Kimiko briefly surfaced, coughing heavily, before her body submerged again. She felt the Mantis Flip Coin slip from the battered remains of her pocket and blindly reached for it, unwilling to expose her eyes to the harsh outside conditions. By pure chance, her fingers brushed against its metal surface, and the Japanese girl clung on to it by her fingernails before shifting her hold. The pressure was too much, she could not breathe, she could not think...

She miraculously managed to surface, throwing her hands out and wrapping it around the closest thing that floated nearby- a lifesaver. She threw her head back and gasped. The oxygen burned her throat and lungs every time she inhaled, but she gratefully did it regardless, just thankful for not drowning. After staving off throngs of androids and actually surviving with little to no wounds inflicted upon her being, it would be a most piteous death to have perished simply because she could not swim.

PEW PEW PEW!

Kimiko uttered a frightened cry, recognizing what the sound was. Coughing and spitting out water at the same time, she took another deep breath and ducked into the relative safety of the water. Using the lifesaver to keep her from sinking, Kimiko kept her head under the water in between short surfacing periods, armed with the knowledge that bullets could only penetrate through so much water before their acceleration and velocity were brought to a complete stop. Bullets had torn through the air overhead every time she surfaced in an open area en route to her current position, the makeshift machine guns dangerously precise when aided with laser sights.

The water came at her from every direction, ironically just as lethal as the bullets it had earlier protected her from, threatening to suffocate the young girl within its protective embrace. She thrashed her arms and legs wildly, struggling to keep her head above water while still hiding amongst the floating debris pile that she had found. She hadn't been prepared for the freezing cold of the water, and the fire that raged within her previously had been all but snuffed out. Her breath came out as thin white vapors that trailed from her mouth and nose. She had accidentally inhaled the salty water more than once in the few minutes since she had jumped and was trying to stifle the coughs it induced.

Using the ebbing and flowing of the water to her advantage, she cautiously moved the heap of detritus to the side of the ship, pressing against it as close as she could for fear of detection. Once she heard it hit the side Kimiko took a quick gulp of air 'swam' under it, clinging onto the bottommost layer of wooden debris for support as she heaved herself into the ship's gaping hole. From her new hiding place she observed the Jackbots, as they were called, patrol the area; They would occasionally communicate to an unknown entity with their guttural voices and Kimiko held her breath when one passed dangerously close to her.

Exhaling once the offending robot was at a safe enough distance, she slumped back down. Her adrenaline had started to fade away and she was left as a tired, wet, violently shivering, and huddled mass, wrapping her arms around herself to keep warm. She did not dare try to force her powers to appear for fear of being recognized. She could hear their jetpacks hissing as they scanned the area and the mechanical rhythmic clicks they made as scan after scan was performed.

"Alpha Prime undetected" a partially torn Jackbot communicated to an untouched, more threatening-looking one, presumably its superior. "Subject is unconstrained. Status- may have possibly drowned. Destroy vessel?"

"No, we go." the commanding robot replied simply, signaling the other robots. "Right now."

Jetpacks loudly whined as their power sources attempted to meet the sudden requirements for energy. With a roar, the bots departed in massive droves, leaving the sinking ship to its fate.

Kimiko sighed in relief, waiting until the sounds of the dozens of jet-packs faded before making her next move. Watching the water slowly enter the boat, she cursed her situation before walking deeper into the partially submerged vessel, quickly scouting for supplies. While Kimiko knew that she only had a limited amount of time before the ocean fully claimed the ship, a plan was already forming in her mind.

The breached watercraft was as cold as the merciless ocean. The main cabin lights were out, forcing her to rely on whatever light was allowed in through the windows and portholes for guidance. She waded through the water, stopping only to gain some form of bearings before continuing onward. Metal floor plates creaked loudly as she pressed her weight on them.

She passed several rooms that were either filled with sophisticated equipment or had tarp covering strangely shaped objects- the skeletal remains of a child-sized hand partially stuck out from the protective covering, but the teenager did not notice it. Other rooms, however, were filled with barrels of unearthly liquid that had each had a large, hastily spray-painted nuclear decal. 'DANGER- KEEP AWAY' was scrawled on the door. Kimiko recoiled slightly from the room, uncertain of what the metal barrels contained.

Several boxes stamped with red ink bearing 'Fragile- Handle with Care' in large print blocked most of the hallway. Naturally, Kimiko stepped on them, slightly flinching with guilt as the chorus of breaking glass reached her ears. Although the crew wasn't physically present and it probably was already broken before she had even put a hundredth of her weight onto it, she still felt bad for breaking things that were probably worth several hundred thousand dollars.

However, all was forgotten upon the discovery that the blast site was near the ship's kitchen area. Using worn red tablecloths as a makeshift sack, she hurriedly frisked the kitchen for supply items. A few knives were found in cabinets, accompanied by trivially placed items such as a space blanket and a simple child's toy. Kimiko swore that she heard a child's cry while taking the blanket before opening the lower cabinets, careful not to displace the toy from where it lay in respect to the child that had lived in this watercraft.

A plethora of canned food items greeted her, but most were either delicious food that had expired or tasteless, unappetizing food that was _close _to expiring.

"Great; it just had to be fish" the dragon of fire grumbled, rolling her eyes in exasperation and reproachfully glaring at a can. "Out of the things that _haven't _expired yet, it had to be fish."

Still, food was food no matter how unsightly or repugnant it was, and she took it with her even though she despised tuna with all her being.

On her way to the upper levels to retrieve clothing, she noted faded signs with the escape routes to the upper levels mapped out posted near a large set of stairwells alongside posters that indicated where the lifeboats were. Shrugging, Kimiko shouldered her burden and followed the scribbled arrows.

Her glee at her bounty of food was short lived however, as carrying both knives and cans of food up the stairs to the upper decks proved to be a tedious job. Various forms of luggage were haphazardly strewn about the empty halls and rooms and she opened quite a few of them, replacing her ratty clothing with multiple layers of brand new ones before finally making sure that her sole Shen Gong Wu was securely fastened around a wrist. It was obvious that the ship had not been touched for a short amount of time time; a light blanket of dust covered every surface. For whatever reason the ship was abandoned by its crew, they sure had left in a hurry. Various memorabilia lay everywhere. Kimiko had wiped the dust from several of the framed portraits in several cabins, lightly smiling as she saw several bearded men either holding a baby or standing next to their children.

That smile turned into a shriek when icy cold seawater nipped at her bare feet. The icy water was now rising faster, beginning to flood the current floor she was on. Her ratty sneakers were strewn over her shoulder instead of protecting her feet, dripping saltwater onto the threadbare carpeting. Hastily gathering her belongings and tying them to her person, she fled from the oncoming danger.

Yipping as a wave of freezing saltwater lapped at her heels once more, Kimiko ran faster, darting up the stairs and soon exhausting herself. As the thought of using the elevator crossed her mind for the fiftieth time today, she found herself staring into the ocean with the chilled wind toying with her hair once more. She gazed below and found ocean-water covering the lower decks, sloshing around the various cranes strewn on the decking and submerging small objects that were unfortunate to stand in its path. Continuing to scan the deck, she nearly cried with relief when she saw the last of the emergency boats upside down on the deck alongside a more appealing speedboat partially hidden under blue-greyish tarp. The mechanics that normally would have held lifeboats parallel to the research vessel's side were broken, the chords snapped and the pulleys rusted.

"Relation" flashed in gold lettering on the speedboat's side as if it were a prize, spurring the young dragon onward. She descended a tiny set of metal stairs, approached it, and dismissed the plastic covering, briefly inspecting it even though she had little to no experience with the operations of any kind of buoyant vessels. From her cursory check, the mechanical aspects of the boat were mostly working but there was no fuel inside it- perhaps, the reason as to why the owners of this boat abandoned it- but the hull was intact and looked watertight. The radical angle as to which the research vessel was currently at warned the dragon of fire of her predicament.

Kimiko clucked her tongue and rolled her eyes in annoyance, but did not dare groan or voice her complaints for fear of aggravating the situation any further via Murphy's Law.

The next five minutes were spent in frenzied scavenging for gasoline along with bringing the gas-cans back and forth. By the time the teenager finished emptying the sixth can, however, it was almost too late for her to .

Instead, she attempted to push the impaired boat to the heavily listing side, but it was much too heavy for her battered body to handle, let alone for people who weren't hurt at all. She was forced to patiently wait until a copious amount of seawater spilled onto the deck before hopping on with her burden. Bracing herself against the long bench seat, she slid onto the speedboat and hoped it wouldn't kill her.

The port and stern dipped sharply, the bow raising until it was at a forty-five degree angle. The speedboat slid from the watercraft, accelerating with an unpleasant metallic grinding sound until it noisily splashed into the water, bobbing up and down from the force of impact. Gripping onto the small watercraft, Kimiko felt the lurch as it began to slide and the painful crush of the impact when craft hit the water all before the ultimate humiliation of falling painfully on her crotch area as the speedboat righted itself. Despite all of that however, simple fact the ship wasn't leaking made her feel some hope return.

Debris from the ship floated about, having surrounded and slammed into her boat multiple times before she irritably pushed them aside. Thankfully, it wasn't long before she was clear of the densest part of the debris field, making it relatively easy for the rest of her journey. The boat drifted further out into the water at a leisurely pace, a tiny orange speck in the middle of a vast blue-green backdrop as the setting sun shone brightly, sending rays of red, orange, and yellow.

Air bubbles rushed towards the surface as the research vessel behind her submerged, assimilating into the assortment of forgotten relics from the past. Kimiko, however, ignored the mildly amusing spectacle for the most part in favor of learning how to move her newly acquired boat to a safer location using a makeshift oar. The heavy wooden board quickly strained her already tired arms, and the young girl was perfectly content with pushing buttons until something happened.

Twenty button combinations later, and the engine sputtered to life. The young adult shrieked in both unadulterated joy and terror when the speedboat shot through the water, sending icy spray everywhere. She gripped the steering wheel nervously, and the boat rocketed towards the side before a hasty jerk to the right made it careen back on its original route.

Now assured of safety, thoughts plagued her mind, and wearily Kimiko slumped forward and allowed Newton's famous laws of motion to take its course. At first, she wondered how she had even got onto the abandoned ship in the first place or how a bunch of ancient scrolls correctly predicted her location. Then she thought about how she had even obtained her powers in the first place, much less knew how to use them with little difficulty, or why she could not even remember anything before gaining spontaneous awareness on the ship except for her name.

After very nearly ramming into yet another group of jetsam, the watercraft shot towards the white sand shore that lay in the distance. The anxiety built from the attack and near-death faded away, carrying every bit of adrenaline that came with it. The flame within flickered to life, sending warmth and relief throughout her weary body. The sun blazed brightly as it slowly disappeared over the horizon and for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, Kimiko smiled.

Things were going to be better.

* * *

><p>"Okay, maybe I had been lying when I promised myself that things were going to get better" Kimiko cursed her luck as she hunched over the controls, shivering as freezing cold drops of rain continually hit her.<p>

Not even a half hour since she set off did a freak storm blow in, whipping wind and icy waves alike into a frenzy. Even with the fire rekindled inside of her, the rain was soaking her clothing and chilling her to the bone.

The speedboat roared as it rode the crest of a wave before slamming onto the turbulent waters below, making the teenager shake up and down violently.

The rain's brutality increased, making visibility near zero conditions. Kimiko squinted, frowning when nothing further than a few meters ahead of her was able to be seen.

A rock suddenly appeared in the midst of the rainstorm right in the speedboat's path, dangerously growing larger as the distance was closed. Kimiko squeaked in terror and jerked the steering wheel to the left; the boat made an unpleasant grinding sound as it made contact with the boulder. She whipped her head around after barely dodging it to take stock of how much of a close call it was, sighing in relief.

The ship ran aground suddenly, sending the poor girl flying before she could understand what had just happened. She tumbled over the protective windshield and onto the beach in a messy heap, coughing and spitting out sand as her vision wildly spun.

_Sssssssss..._

Something _hissed _above her, and she heard soft footsteps pad in the sand towards her. Raising her head towards the source of the disturbance, she saw the cloth-bound feet of an assassin, its strangely colored, dual swords pointed at her.

* * *

><p>A research ship might be super nuclear, but Kimiko has a relation ship...<p>

That was a joke; ha ha, fat chance.

Okay fine, I have a lame sense of humor with anything that's not funny in a sadistic sort of way. Deal with it.

I found where the 17 year old jar of pasta sauce was in my house, though. I still find it funny that I still can find food items older than I am when sifting through the pile of cra- er, stuff moved during home renovations.

Now... about those 9 year old raisins...


	4. Aqua

**_AN:_** To all the people that visited this waste of space and cared to read this, thank you. I usually constantly perform minor updates my stories after seeing minor errors on my nook.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Blood.<em>**

Kimiko gasped as she felt the blade slice through her skin once again, cursing herself for being tricked by the cheap-shot.

Weakly, she brought herself to her knees and shot a small tendril of fire from her fingers at the assassin's chest.

The crude armor sizzled as a new hole was burned into it and the pair of red eyes glowed angrily under the scarlet-horned helmet. It tilted its head upward and lowly hissed, sending shivers up the teenager's spine.

It was dressed like a traditional samurai, with layers upon layers of armor and a helmet. Dual swords were grasped in its hands, one red, one green, but both were lined with strange engravings along their lengths.

The assassin charged, sabers blazing fiercely and leaving twin trails in the night.

Kimiko dropped to the ground and swung a leg, catching the armored being's legs in hers. With a startled cry, the specter stumbled.

The dragon of fire used the given time to her advantage and shot several balls of fire toward it.

It swerved and charged once more, swords poised to gore through the young Japanese girl.

She closed her eyes and gathered the elemental energy within her, just praying for a miracle to happen.

_'If I'm going to die here, I'm at least going to die with some dignity'_ she thought, hoping that it wouldn't be the last thing that she ever thought to herself.

Kimiko heard him get closer and closer. She inhaled, thrust her palms forward, and expelled her energies.

There was a shriek, and blood stained Kimiko's clothing.

Cautiously opening her eyes, a horrid scene lay before her.

A blade had pierced through its chest, and its hands were scrabbling at the sword, half trying to remove it, half flailing as it shrieked in alarm. Light brilliantly glowed from within its armored form, and with a blast that sent the clothing and weapon items everywhere, the specter fell to its knees and then on its side. It was already dead well before it hit the ground.

Kimiko silently retrieved the blades and the mostly-undamaged armor, too preoccupied with the oncoming horde to notice their weight.

She patiently stood on the beach as more specter-samurai charged toward her, armed with the knowledge of how to defeat them. The rain softly pattered upon the fighting warrior, making her hair stick to her forehead.

Her cerulean eyes flashed, and both sides leapt into battle.

* * *

><p>Several hours later, a very-rain soaked Kimiko face-planted into the sand, not bothering to get up. Blood streamed from new cuts, though she made no attempt to neither clean nor bandage them; she simply was just relieved that this was over. All she wanted to do was get some sleep- some nice, wonderful... slumber...<p>

The rain had stopped quite a while ago, allowing the moon to break through the thinning grey clouds. Crawling over to the shade of some palm trees, she curled up and slid into a dreamless slumber.

"Arise your shine!" a child's voice shouted at her.

Kimiko mumbled something in reply, her voice further muffled by the sand as she vocalized her annoyance at being woken. She turned over and prepared to go back to sleep when the child yelled "Orb of Tornami!" and a splash of chilled water stuck the back of her head.

"Alright, I'm up, I'm up!" she grumbled, irritably swatting the boy away as all traces of her exhaustion was washed away by the frigid liquid.

Yawning, she opened her eyes and saw a small Asian child that looked not a day over 10 years old standing before her, holding a crystal or glass-like orb in the palm of a hand. He wore a layer of fur, black gloves, and a cloth that covered most of his head save for his eyes. She blinked, and before she knew what happened, she was flying through the air.

Thinking quickly, she somersaulted backwards and landed on her feet.

A yellow fist flew at her; Kimiko instinctively ducked, the fist grazing her hair. A kick however, sent her sprawling on the sand again. Her leg shot out and wrapped around the boy's legs while he was recovering. Omi stumbled, but used two fingers to 'walk' on the ground, snidely grinning.

"You have done well for a female" the child said as he shifted into a fighting position, holding the strange orb in an open palm. "I have not expected you to go through the specters so quickly"

"Thanks" Kimiko sarcastically replied, rolling her eyes at the boy's comment. "I try to do my best"

"Then perhaps your best isn't good enough for me" Omi replied, "Prepare yourself for a most humiliating defeat!"

Omi leaped into the air, shifting his hold on the orb so that it was now between his palms. "Orb of Tornami, ice!"

Kimiko flipped backwards as the rapidly freezing water splashed onto the sand and created a thin layer of ice on top of it. Omi suddenly came towards her, gracefully gliding on the ice with a fist extended.

"Mantis Flip Coin!"

Omi's fist crashed onto the icy ground where she had stood, instantly shattering it. She jumped into the tall palm trees, using the Wu to accent her defensive fighting style. Omi, however, found fighting on higher ground difficult due to his small stature.

Mano a mano, they leaped through the trees, punching and swiping rhythmically, as if it were a dance of some sort. Kimiko had gotten the brunt of his attacks while Omi seemed untouched by hers. However, since their Wu were used extensively, it balanced the experience difference between Omi's fighting skills and Kimiko's- Kimiko used the trees and the coin to her advantage where she lacked martial arts training.

"Dog playing poker!"

The palm underneath her snapped from a kick sent by the 'big fat cheese head', and she rapidly grabbed the one underneath his feet. The added weight caused the flexible plant to dip towards the ground. Both fighters were too preoccupied with glaring at each other, but as soon as Kimiko's grip faltered from her exhaustion and she released her hold, Omi was shot into the air and landed on the ground. A small plume of dust followed a muffled crunching sound. At this point, Omi was jabbing his pointer finger in her general direction and started screaming, furious beyond belief at his crushed ego.

"As a Xiaolin apprentice, I order-"

'Wait, Xiaolin?'

"-hand over the Shen Gong Wu immediately!" he continued as he rapidly shot streams of water, attempting to take advantage of her momentary distraction and knock her from her perch.

Kimiko catapulted, ducking and hiding in between the protective trees.

"Do you know the way to the Xiaolin Valley?" she called, not daring to peek around the corner of a trunk.

"I think it would be most wise if I left you in the shadows, Heylin witch!"

"...That's 'keep you in the dark, and don't call me a witch" Kimiko snapped, shooting from the relative safety of the canopy and aimed a punch at his chest, which sent the young lad flying backwards.

"That too!" Omi spat as he rolled backwards to go back into a standing position.

"Then, I hope you don't mind if I bring a torch!" Kimiko retorted, igniting her hands and throwing pitifully weak fireballs at the young boy, trying her best but at the same time unwilling to risk the chance of seriously hurting the child with her element. Unused to her powers, the flames were wildly off target, either spiraling above his head or arcing to the side.

Omi smirked as he broke through her attacks with little ease, using an impressive combination of water attacks in retaliation. He didn't even need to use any of his true power over the element to break through her attacks. 'Although...' he thought, 'throwing fire is no ordinary feat...'

"Your fire powers resemble most like the dragon of fire" he stated, shooting several shards of ice towards his opponent. "But I shall not be confused with him, for your imitation of the dragon of fire shall not fool me, Wuya! The true fire dragon shall reveal himself... and take revenge on you for mocking his identity. But for now, my powers are most powerful- and shall continue to be for the next few hours! Prepare to be utterly defeated!"

Kimiko looked over his shoulder and smirked as a familiar warm energy returned to her, only a wee bit stronger than when she originally encountered it. For a moment, Omi's sly smile turned into a confused frown as he tried to figure out what he meant.

"Wrong. You rise with the moon, but I rise with the sun!" Kimiko yelled as she swung her palms towards him, sending an impressive amount of flames towards him.

Omi shouted the name of his element and used it against Kimiko's fire, but the short range of the attacks' explosion sent him tumbling. He gazed in awe as he saw the streams of flames emitted from Kimiko's hand, suddenly realizing his error. Kimiko collapsed onto the beach, her wounds taking a heavy toll on her battered body as her power left her.

The fire crackled as it lapped at the trees, blackening the leaves and branches. Omi frowned at the sight of the island burning to ashes and hastily, almost apologetically, offered the heavily panting teenager a temporary truce, which she gladly accepted.

"Orb of Tornami, water!"

The icy spray splashed at the source of the conflagration. With a loud hiss, the fire was extinguished, sending plumes of white smoke to the sky. Omi grimly smiled and tucked the sphere within the confines of his orb.

"This is... most embarrassing" Omi admitted after a moment of silence had passed. "I... apologize for this confusion"

"It's alright." Kimiko mumbled before quickly changing the subject to avoid the awkward situation. "So you're a Xiaolin Warrior"

"Of course"

"Then you know where the Xiaolin Valley is"

Omi gave her a funny look that clearly read 'duh'.

"Then you'll take me there, then?"

"I believe I did not say that" Omi responded, but felt a stab of guilt upon looking at her bleeding form. "But I believe it is my duty as a Xiaolin monk to assist you."

He pointed to an ominous-looking mountain range. Clouds gathered above the summit of the tallest mountain. Lightning flashed overhead, and for a moment, Kimiko thought that it looked like a glaring face.

She was so entranced by the overly clichéd dramatic appearance that she did not notice Omi placing his hands on her wounds. His hands glowed a soft lightly blue and the dragon of fire twitched slightly as a tingly feeling raced up and down her spine. However, she remained silent until he finished, leaving her only with faint scars as testimony to her struggles.

"We shall depart in a few hours' time" Omi declared, a tiny hand reaching out once more. "Once again, I am most..." Omi was cut off when Kimiko embraced him, purely grateful for the small act.

"Can I have another hug, please?" Omi pleaded, extending his arms and using his puppy dog pout.

Kimiko rolled her eyes and sighed.

* * *

><p>As you can see, Kim still needs to work out controlling her powers. Anything other than her weaker attacks would burn everything around her to a crisp.<p>

Stats:

Kimiko, lv. 3, destroyer  
>Special abilities: Flash fire- attacks of team are stronger<p>

Omi, Lv. 5, medic  
>Special abilities: Water absorb- basic healing<p> 


End file.
